Torn
by asSweetAsSwirlix
Summary: (AU) Milla is a knight who serves the prince, Jude Fenn, as his personal bodyguard. One night, the prince gets abducted which comes to the great dismay of Milla. She soon realizes that in order to find Jude she must confront some regretful decisions of her past which is somehow related to the boy's disappearance.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Here's a new story for all of you! This idea has been bugging me for quite some time so I really wanted to write it out. There are many changes from the game that may seem weird, but I tried to make them all believable. I intend to have this be a four chapter story, but who knows what will happen to it in the end! Anyways, on with the story!**

**Rated T for language and sexual themes.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Tales of Xillia or the book titles which are from Skyrim.**

Chapter 1

Milla walked down the gilded halls of Orda Palace with subdued haste in preparation for her post as the prince's personal guard. All the while, her armor clinked every time she took a step forward. No one but the velvet colored tapestry hanging on the walls bore witness to her traversal through the halls, which she had memorized like the back of her hand. Suddenly, she ceased her graceful stride and turned towards a door planted within the curvature of the wall. On the outside, there were no indications that this door was out of the ordinary, but the knight knew exactly who was housed inside. The blonde brought her hand up and gave three consecutive knocks to signal her arrival to the person residing inside.

Milla could hear the shuffle of feet just beyond the door and smiled slightly to herself. The door creaked open to reveal a ten-year-old boy with a severe case of bed-head who was rubbing sleep out of his eyes. He donned his favorite light blue pajamas and some thick socks on his feet. The older one giggled and glanced down at the boy's attire, "My prince, you are still not ready?"

Jude blushed out of embarrassment at the truthful statement. "Well, I just woke up," he said softly. He then contorted his cute face into a scowl. "Why are you here anyway?"

Milla crossed her arms on her chest at the boy's reply. "King Nachtigal informed me that you were going to venture outside today, and I was ordered to escort you there."

Jude furrowed his brow at the statement and switched his demeanor to be defensive. He narrowed the opening between both of them and sniffed loudly. "Regardless of what my father told you, I don't want you to come. If you work under me then you have to listen to what I say."

"Whether you want me to accompany you or not will not change anything. King Nachtigal orders reign supreme over yours." Milla said bluntly, void of any emotion. Whenever, she was given orders to take care of Jude, they always went through this procedure. One would think that she would be used to it by now, but Milla's patience was running thin at this point.

"Well, then tell him that I don't need to be babied anymore. I'm old enough to take care of myself," Jude half yelled his reply. "Now leave me alone," the boy went through the motion of closing the door completely, but was taken aback when Milla put her hand through the opening and pushed the wooden door so that it would open wider. Jude attempted to close the door back again, but Milla was much stronger so he gave up after some time of struggling.

Once she was sure that Jude would stop fighting and begin listening to her, she ceased her door pushing and replied to Jude's bratty remark. "You're only ten years old. You are by no means old enough to take care of yourself. Now go, get ready, and we will go out into the market _together_," Milla said in an authoritative tone.

The unwavering voice seemed to work since Jude sighed and turned into his room toward the bathroom conjoined with it. Before he left, he opened the door wide enough for the knight to walk in. Even when he did this, Milla caught him rolling his eyes which signaled to her that he was not going to drop the attitude anytime soon.

Milla shut the door behind her when she stepped in and sat on Jude's unmade bed. She let her red eyes wander around the room until they settled on the stack of books lying on a desk pushed to the other side of the room underneath the large windows that overlooked the city of Fennmont. The books laid on top of one another in an unordered fashion; they looked as if they were thrown around carelessly.

_"These must've kept him up last night. No wonder he wasn't ready for the day,"_ the blonde thought to herself as she sauntered across the room to reach the desk. With the help of the artificial light that illuminated the area, she stacked the books into a neat pile as she read the titles of them out loud.

"Olaf and the Dragon, The Knights of the Nine, Wabbajack …" Milla automatically went silent when she came across a thick book with a decorative spine and a smooth tan cover, recognizing instantly that it was a photo album.

Milla carefully opened the cover of the book and looked through some of the pictures. Most of the pictures featured a much younger looking Jude and the late Queen; occasionally there were some appearances of Nachtigal as well. Realizing that Jude must have been remembering his mom made Milla worry immensely.

Queen Muzét was Nachtigal's wife and Jude's mother who passed away a month prior. The cause of her death is still not concluded, but Milla had heard rumors around the knight circles that she was poisoned by some servant that was trusted with her food. As a result of this, Milla had been assigned to be Jude's guard to keep an eye on him whenever he was alone or he ventured outside, and the boy didn't like any bit of that at all. Ever since she'd been assigned to watch him, the ten-year-old would be hostile towards her. She always tried to be kind to him, but none of it seemed to break through to the little brat. However, even through it all she was finding herself to be quite attached to the boy. In the times of his rage, it was always hard to take him the least bit seriously. He was like a cute little puppy that won't stop barking; unlike his father who was more like a full grown bull mastiff. It was one of the many differences that Jude had with his father.

Although Milla was annoyed by his attitude, it was easy for her to sympathize with Jude. She knew that the boy was young and his mother recently passed away so his behavior was understandable.

The blonde knight settled her eyes on Muzét's pretty face on one of the photographs as if she were waiting for it to move. The photo was of her standing behind Jude while her hand was placed protectively on his shoulder. The boy was sitting on a chair with a cake in front of him. The woman's wavy light blue hair passed her shoulders and settled on her breasts where the tips of the follicles were a gradient to a green shade. Her eyes sparkled and reflected the happiness she felt at that time. The picture perfectly held onto the essence and sentiment of that moment.

Milla checked the context of the photo again and noticed that it was taken on Jude's eight birthday by counting the candles on the cake. She started staring at Jude's broad smile and wondered if she'd ever see such an innocent expression within the time she works with him.

"Milla, what're you doing?" Jude asked harshly.

At the boy's remark, the knight quickly slammed the book shut and spun around in a cartoonish manner to lock eyes with a freshly showered prince. Jude noticed the book in her hands and approached her. He snatched it away from her and held it protectively in his arms. "I assume that my father didn't give you any orders to look through my things did he?"

Milla gulped, "No, he did not."

"Then please keep your hands to yourself."

Although Milla was getting irritated again, she had to give props to the king and queen for teaching their son manners.

Jude put the book down on the table and exited the room and without waiting for Milla to follow. Milla sighed inwardly at being ignored by the boy again, but followed him onto the portal and out of the heavily guarded building.

* * *

Even when the duo reached the commercial district of the city, the ten-year-old boy kept his sour expression on his face; he was no doubt upset that he was being followed very closely by a guard on his father's request. Milla waited patiently as Jude browsed around the store. His father's birthday was a few days away, and he had planned to surprise him with a gift. Jude had informed Nachtigal that he was going into the city, but now he was clearly regretting that choice.

King Nachtigal was an intimidating tower of a man, and it would come as a surprise to many that he had a thing for small knick-knacks. Knowing this, Jude searched long and hard for the perfect trinket for him.

As the two of them neared the next shop, Milla decided to give Jude a little more comfort by waiting at the entrance for him since he had not whined for a good ten minutes. It was a new record in Milla's opinion and he should be rewarded, and if he went by himself he might it might be easier for him to find something.

When the blonde didn't follow the boy into the gift shop she could tell that the boy wasn't as tense which was a good sign to her. Milla sighed as she looked around the perimeter of the store, but was pulled out of her trance when her eyes landed on a worried looking Jude being confronted by a man. She pushed through some civilians who gave her glares at her rudeness, but she couldn't care less. Once she was a couple of meters away she was able to hear what the man was saying to Jude.

"You think you're so privileged you little shit just because you come from royalty? My family has suffered for so long because of your father! All of my sons have died in meaningless battles!" the middle-aged man shouted at Jude. The boy was too scare to reply, which threw the older one over the brink with anger. He took the opportunity to grab the defenseless boy by the collar and punch him in the face.

Once Milla was in range, she pulled the man off of Jude and unsheathed her sword which brought a flash of fear on the man's slightly wrinkled face.

"If you knew what was best for you, you would keep your hands off of him," Milla said dangerously.

The man was not intimidated by Milla. He laughed, "Ah I see. You can't even face your own fights huh?" He directed this comment at the nervous black-haired boy who said nothing but kept his eyes on his shoes and his hand on top of his face.

Milla then walked in front of Jude to partially conceal him from the attacker. Then, she raised her sword higher in the air.

"What? You're going to kill me? If you do that I'd have many people rallying against all of you for this," the man said indignantly while wagging his finger at the blonde. Now the commotion raised a few heads of patrons who were browsing around the store.

Milla hesitated for a moment, but then replied without a waver in her voice. "No, but I will arrest you for starting a fight."

"Ha?" The man obviously hadn't thought of that punishment as Milla grabbed him by the arm and dragged him outside towards a few other guards on duty scattered around the city. Jude followed her, but not too closely as he didn't want to be close to the man in the blonde's iron grip.

Once Milla explained the situation to another guard outside of the store, she handed the angered middle-aged man to him and retreated back to Jude's side. Milla gazed at Jude's face sadly and she had resigned to the fact that once she got back to the palace she would probably be fired for her incompetence, but even so she still planned to protect Jude as best as she could for the rest of the day. She placed her hand on his shoulder and gave him a reassuring squeeze. Jude shook her hand off of him and walked toward a different part of the commercial district, away from the scene of the crime. Milla continued to stare dejectedly at the black-haired boy, but then followed after him. The two of them entered another store where Jude finally bought a wood carving of a Peepit. In Milla's opinion it was absolutely adorable, but she still found it hard to believe that the king would enjoy something so cute.

They then returned to Orda Palace where, upon Jude's request, both of them stood at the edge of the bridge that connected the Palace with the rest of the city. The flow of water under the strong bridge was brilliantly reflecting the perpetual night sky of Fennmont.

Although the view was beautiful Milla settled her eyes on Jude instead, specifically on his eye which was swelling from the fierce impact it had endured. Her red eyes then caught sight of Jude's silky black hair. Without realizing what she was doing she ran her gloved hand into his soft locks and ruffled them.

Jude immediately shrunk away from the affectionate contact. This bothered Milla a lot more than what was socially acceptable for what a guard should have felt for her client. Milla retreated her hand that was held still in the air and placed it on the bridge's railing instead.

"Milla?" Jude asked softly.

The blonde jumped slightly at the male's question. "Yes?"

The boy hung his head low. "About what happened back at the store, I really would have been in trouble if I were there alone. I had no idea people felt that way about my father."

"Most people don't. It was just that annoyance."

Jude laughed slightly. "I guess what I want to say is… thank you." The boy expressed his gratitude softly, but the knight caught it and smiled.

"You're welcome."

"I'm sorry about what I said to you this morning. I regret every bit of it. You're actually not that bad to have around." Jude offered his contrite words strongly so that the blonde would believe them.

"It's alright," Milla noticed Jude's sudden weary facial expression and knew that it was time for him to retire for the day. "How about we go back inside now?"

The boy nodded fiercely and the woman escorted him back through the confusing portals and back to his room.

When Jude opened the door Milla finally spoke again. "Goodnight, and remember, don't open the door for anyone unless you are absolutely certain that it's me," Milla said with a stern tone.

"I know, I know," the boy said quickly after Milla uttered her concern. "You're talking like my mother now," Jude laughed slightly.

The knight was taken aback by the way Jude said those words. It seemed as though he is now able to talk about Queen Muzét in a tone that was not completely consumed in sorrow. Milla patted him on the head, but then pulled back before he could shy away from her.

She wished him a goodnight again, and he returned the sentiment for once in the entire month she'd been taking care of him. Once the boy closed the door, Milla shook the door handle to make sure that he locked it. When she was satisfied, she spun around to get back to her sleeping quarters in the knight section of the palace.

* * *

Milla returned down the same hallway just as she had done the night before and was not too surprised when she was caught sight of three of the king's guards. She knew that this was the result of her carelessness on the outing with Jude yesterday; she held her head high and confronted the trio in front of the prince's room, awaiting her judgment.

"Milla?" the largest guard leading the group asked.

"Yes?" the blonde asked. Milla tried to read the guards expression, but was at loss when she couldn't decipher it through his metal façade helmet.

"King Nachtigal instructed me to inform you that you have been relieved of your current duties until further notice."

Milla took in a deep breath through her nose, "Alright, I apologize for not performing my duties to the best of my abilities. I hope the one who guards him next can be more competent." The blonde looked at her armored feet and didn't notice how pregnant the silence was between the guards.

"Wait, you knew this was going to happen?" the knight in the back whispered.

Milla raised her gaze to the man in confusion. "Jude was attacked in the commercial district yesterday, and I was unable to protect him… Isn't that why I've been fired?"

The two men slowly shook their heads while the third soldier hung her head solemnly.

The guard in the front let out a sigh and placed a hand on his hidden face. "No, that's not it. The prince was abducted last night."

The blonde was flabbergasted. She wanted to say something, but she found that her breath was caught in her throat. She switched her gazes to all the other two soldiers, but their demeanors all expressed the same sentiment of concern.

She ran her hand through her blonde hair as her mind searched desperately for a logical conclusion to all of this. _"How could this happen? I made sure he locked his door last night; unless he opened it? Or perhaps the window…" _Milla pushed the knights aside, and she barged into the Jude's room.

She peered inside, expecting a chaotic mess, however, to her surprise there was no indication that a crime scene had happened the night before. The room remained pristine and clean. _"Too clean..." _Milla thought. The bed was made, and the books were not strewn around on the desk; they were instead placed neatly on the bookshelf.

"His room was already searched through thoroughly when he was found gone. Whatever clues remained are now gone," the low voice of the female guard bellowed behind Milla.

"Is this the last place he was seen?" Milla asked without looking behind her.

"I don't know the details of what happened. We were merely told to break the news to you so that you could be assigned a new job in the meantime, while they look for him," the woman bowed her head slightly as she said this.

Milla traversed her gaze around the room once more. "Who are 'they'?"

The leader of the trio answered this time, "The king's best men. Including the Conductor, Rowen Ilbert. There's no need to worry, ma'am; they will find him for sure."

The blonde knight digested these words, but they didn't bring her any ease at all. She turned around and ran towards the throne room. The guards yelled after her, but they made no movements to follow her. She knew she was being rash, but this whole thing seemed off and nothing was adding up. _"Jude never makes his bed or puts his books away. For that matter, nothing in the room seemed broken or out of place. It's almost as if he didn't struggle against his kidnapper."_

Milla shook these thoughts out of her head as she began to sprint faster down the halls.

* * *

Milla opened the door to the throne room with little grace or respect, and she clumsily shut it behind her. The other soldiers scattered in the room stared at her; all of them recognized her as she worked in their ranks many times; they were not too alarmed at her presence, but they were taken aback by her rude entrance.

She ignored them and walked briskly to the center of the room where Nachtigal was sitting on his throne while his second in command, Gilland, stood next to him. They spoke in hushed tones but ceased all conversation when Milla was within earshot. She panted and then bowed deeply in front of her king.

"Why are you here?" Nachtigal asked bluntly. Before the blonde could answer he gave out a long and weary sigh, "I see so they didn't pass the message on to you. Incompetent fools."

Milla shook her head quickly to defend the trio, "They did send me the message, but I'd like to ask for permission to look for Jude."

Nachtigal inclined his head slightly as if he were challenging her, "And why is that? If the message had been passed on to you, you should know that the situation is already in control."

The knight was slightly confused at the man's reaction. She'd expect him to be more hysterical at his own son's disappearance, but she ignored the nagging feeling. She then cleared her throat, "I am the one that was assigned to protect him; therefore, I should be the one to find him."

Nachtigal stroked his bearded chin. "Hmm, you seem too eager to go look for him. Tell me, Milla, can I trust you?"

Milla nodded her head curtly, "You can. I would never hurt Jude. I can assure you that I am not behind his kidnapping."

The king looked over his shoulder to his second in command who gave him a slimy grin. Nachtigal returned that gesture with his own evil smile then shifted his gaze back to Milla again. "Very well, I will allow you to join the search. But know this, my men are the best in all of Rashugal. If they can't find one person then no one can."

Milla bowed deeply again. "Thank you so much for this opportunity, sir." The blonde then rose and exited the room in a fast walk. When she was outside the king's domain, she sprinted towards her next destination which she was deciding upon as she ran.

Nachtigal tilted his head back again towards Gilland. He chuckled and said, "Make sure you inform them that Milla is coming along for the ride."

Gilland laughed alongside his king. "Will do, your majesty."


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Hey guys! I'm back with a new installment in this story! This chapter is supposed to be a flashback which was initially meant to be around 2,000 words, but then it somehow grew to be this monster! Also, I didn't specify in the last chapter, but Milla is supposed to be late twenties to early thirties in present time. This flashback happens eleven years in the past so that needs to be clarified... Also, an OC has appeared in this chapter, as well as some other familiar faces! :) OC will remain unnamed though since I didn't want to make you guys that angry...**

**Thank you Project AE Hachi-Roku, TheAnime4Fan, CloudyLightning, and Mayuko-chan for your support. You all make me so happy! :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Tales of Xillia, Tales of Destiny, Tales of Vesperia, Tales of Graces, or Tales of Zestiria.**

**Edit: A reader has pointed out that there is some content in this chapter that is not rated T. I sincerely apologize to all who have read this chapter and wasn't expecting anything in the M rating territory.**

**Edit 2: Hello, everyone. I added a lemon to this chapter to exploit the rating now that I've changed it to M. This is my first time writing this type of thing so please feel free to critique it! :)**

Chapter 2

_Eleven years ago…_

"Alright new recruits, as you know, today will mark the beginning of your final examinations. You all need to take this very seriously. If you fail, you will be kicked to the curb. Any questions?" the class instructor said to the fresh faced knights-in-training in front of him. The silence informed the man of the consensus the students had come to, so he nodded curtly. "Great. This test will go on for the next few days. I will be observing your skills with a sword, your ability to make quick decisions, and last but not least, your strength."

This information had been relayed many times before to the students, nonetheless they've learned through rigorous training that they should always keep focused on their leader. However, there was one blonde who wasn't watching the male with her unwavering attention.

Milla sighed as she inclined her head towards the ceiling of the mirrored room. She shifted her weight onto her left leg which made an impression on the purple foam mat that covered the hardwood floor. The pre-knight yawned and blinked multiple times; her anticipation for the start of her final examination left her restless the past two days. She reprimanded herself for not being able to sleep last night, but it was a common occurrence for her when she was tense. Milla could only hope that the lack of slumber would not affect her performance or she could kiss her dream of being a knight goodbye.

Milla felt the onslaught of sleep consume her, but she shook her head abruptly to keep herself awake. The blonde then brought her gaze down towards the instructor of her class who was just speaking. Milla couldn't for the life of her remember the man's name; of course they were only allowed to refer to him as 'sir' so she never needed to know it. The man was very well built, as expected for someone in this field, however there was something off with his face which didn't leave him handsome. His black hair was combed cleanly out of his brown eyes which gave him a very professional look.

"Alright then. Today your swordsmanship will be tested," the man motioned to the array of swords that that were placed in a stand behind him. "I will break all of you into pairs. You and your partner will duel while I walk around to observe your skills." The knight then inhaled deeply and spoke even louder. "Remember your training. The point of this is not to win, but to display what you have learned." The instructor then started to pace slowly in front of his students after he retrieved a piece of paper with some scrawls on it from his pocket. "I've chosen the teams for all of you." He cleared his throat and then read the contents hoarsely, "Team 1 will be Asbel and Yuri, team 2 will be Leon and Alisha, team 3 will be Flynn and Milla…"

If Milla were asleep before, she was wide awake now that she'd heard who her partner was. The girl snapped her head to her right and she locked eyes with the blond male standing straight with his arms behind his back. He nodded his head to her in acknowledgement and Milla groaned. It was well known to everyone in the class that Flynn was highest ranking student in her class; he was definitely the model knight. Not to mention, the way he handles his sword was impeccable.

After the trainer revealed the ten partnerships, the students dispersed to obtain a sword from the front of the training room and gave themselves room with their partner to begin the test. Milla and Flynn took the corner closest to the door and got into their fighting stances.

"I'm ready whenever you are, Milla. You can have the first shot," Flynn said with a smile.

Milla squinted her eyes at him, not knowing if he was offering out of kindness or if he was using this opportunity to gain the upper hand after she attempted the first hit.

"How kind of you. You will regret that decision." As soon as Milla uttered those words, she took a quick step forward to gain momentum in her sword and she thrust her blade in the male's direction.

Flynn parried the assault flawlessly and went for a horizontal slice against Milla's torso. Milla anticipated the move and she quickly took a back step to dodge it. With Flynn's body open to attacks due to his careless slash, Milla took the opportunity to jump forward and deal a heavy vertical slice. The man panicked and quickly brought his sword in front of his face to block the attack, but in his haste he forgot his form. When Milla's blade came into contact with Flynn's, his muscles began to shake from the aftermath of the impact as he felt a stab of pain coursing in his arms.

Milla sensed that the male was taken aback from her strike so she pushed forward with her sword still in contact with Flynn's. On a regular day, Flynn would have been able to push the girl off of him in a second, but he could not find the strength in his arms to do so now. Milla pushed him to the dirty floor, and when he was down she withdrew her sword briefly only to point it to the male's neck a moment later to signal that she'd won the round.

Milla smiled and relished the defeated look on Flynn's face. _"Damn, it feels good to beat the best kid in class,"_ she thought as she gave a brief and tired laugh.

The woman withdrew the sword from its dangerous position when she heard clapping behind her. She was confused at first since their instructor never showed praise like that to anyone. Her confusion heightened when she spun around to find a tall young woman behind her instead of her instructor. The woman had light blue hair that was tied up tightly in a bun while a few strands laid in front of her face. Her hairdo accentuated her high cheekbones and large eyes; her features were so beautiful that they didn't seem human, but almost elf-like.

As far as Milla knew, she and Alisha were the only girls in the class so she was wondering who this woman could be, and judging from her clothing she wasn't properly dressed to be in a room full of clashing swords.

"That was quite amazing," the woman sang while her jade eyes twinkled.

Milla nodded her head at the compliment. "Thank you. And you are?"

The woman's large eyes widened and then she chuckled slightly. "Where are my manners? My name is Muzét."

The blonde smiled and outstretched her hand for a handshake during their introductions. "Nice to meet you. My name is Milla."

"Milla? That's a nice name!" Muzét giggled. She looked at Milla's hand, but made no attempt to return the sentiment.

At this point Flynn got the strength to get up on his own and noticed who had interrupted their fight. He gasped slightly and then bowed to the woman. "Y-your majesty!"

The red-eyed one looked to Flynn with her own growing plate sized eyes and then returned her gaze back to Muzét who just kept on her devious smile. At Flynn's exclamation, the other students as well as the class instructor now turned their attention to the blue-haired woman.

"Your majesty what are you doing here?" the class's instructor asked. The man's utterance affirmed Milla's suspicions as she felt unbelievably ignorant at the realization that this woman was Nachtigal's new wife, and she was the only one in the room who had no idea.

"Oh nothing. I was just wondering how things went about down here," Muzét said as she tilted her head slightly sideways.

The black-haired man gave an exasperated sigh. "Well, now the students are having their examinations. As you can see it's very dangerous for you to be walking around like this without any protection; especially in your condition."

The queen nodded and hummed as if she wasn't concerned for her safety. "Examination? Well, I'm sure this girl here would be an excellent knight." Muzét motioned toward Milla. "Be sure that she passes, alright?"

The knight looked over to the blonde and wondered what exactly the lady saw in her; she was never very extraordinary in her last couple of months of training. "I don't know about that. Everyone must be graded fairly of course," the man laughed slightly as he scratched the back of his head.

"Of course," the woman smiled.

"Enjoy your stay. I'd like to attend to you further, but we are in the middle of a test."

Muzét tapped her lips with her finger. "No worries. I was just poking my head in to say hello. I'll be out of your hair in a couple of moments."

The man nodded and then walked off to the other side of the room to continue observing Asbel and Yuri's duel.

Muzét was about to leave when Milla took a step in front of her. The blue-haired woman smiled and gave the blonde her full attention.

"Wait, what did he mean by 'in your condition'?"

Muzét smiled even broader than before which caused her eyes to appear as if they were slits. "I'm pregnant!"

The knight-in-training gave her queen a small smile. "Congratulations, ma'am."

The taller woman opened her eyes and then straightened her head. "Oh please don't call me that; we're about the same age so there's no need to be that formal with me."

"Oh I see. I hope you have a healthy pregnancy," Milla wished her politely.

The queen put a hand on her stomach gingerly and gazed down. "I hope so too." Muzét sighed and then spun on her heel to leave. "Hopefully the next time I see you Milla, you'll be in full knight armor. Best of luck to you."

"Thank you." Milla then turned around to come face to face with an impatient looking Flynn. The female sighed and then got into position for the round two of their fight.

* * *

"Eight, nine, ten, elev-,"

Milla fell to the ground with an audible thud. Today was the last day of the grueling exam and she was finding it hard to keep up with the rest of the class. After the first day, the examination consisted of tests that evaluated physical fitness. Today the class was being assessed on upper body strength which is definitely not a strong point of hers. The examination occurred in the room adjacent to the sword training room which looked identical to it, except there was exercising equipment instead of dangerous sharp weapons. That equipment consisted of many things, including a metal bar that hung overhead on which Milla had just failed to perform twenty pull-ups on.

She got up on her hands and knees, but before she rose she spotted a pair of feet in front of her. Trailing her eyes upward she caught sight of her training instructor towering over her. Milla quickly got up and patted her training clothes down and then locked eyes with the knight.

"Milla, you barely got through half of your pull-ups, if you can't complete this task then I don't think you're fit enough to be a knight," the man said seriously.

Milla stuck up her nose and regarded her instructor while his brown eyes were locked in a steely gaze with Milla's red ones. The intense stare caused Milla to back down and she quickly adverted her eyes. "I'll get better with time," the blonde said quietly.

"What time?" the trainer said sternly. "You do realize that this is the last day of your final exam? You're not going to pass like this."

The young woman gazed around the room and not to her surprise, the other students regarded her with condescending looks similar to the one her instructor was giving her. Some of them even shook their heads at her inability complete the exercise.

Milla glared her ferocious red eyes at the knight and then at the raised bar she was performing her pull-ups on. "Give me one more chance, sir. This time I will surely do it."

Milla's instructor gave some consideration to the idea; something that he'd never even thought he would do for a student of his. But something kept telling him that he should let her try again. Whether it was what the queen had said earlier that week or just mere intuition, he did not know. However, he was genuinely interested in seeing if Milla would be able to finish her exam.

The black-haired man nodded and then Milla jumped, grabbed the bar, and proceeded to pull herself up with just her upper body strength.

Once Milla started, the instructor began to count. "One, two, thr-,"

For the second time that day, Milla fell again. Some of the students gasped, but they quickly quieted down when their trainer shot them a dangerous glare.

Milla propped herself up on her elbows while her mind was reeling with her current predicament. She had a feeling that this test may be her downfall as she had spent most of her time practicing her sword techniques which were almost flawless at this point. However, she didn't give herself enough time for her upper body strength to develop.

_"This isn't fair anyway. It's easier for the rest of them to do this since they're boys," _Milla thought bitterly as she gazed at her predominantly male based classmates, but then her eyes landed on Alisha. _"Except for her… She's a girl, and she got through her pull-ups just fine."_

Milla sighed and dropped her head. Suddenly, she was grabbed with a jolt when her instructor grabbed her by the back of her collar, much like how a cat would pick up her kitten, and then plopped her on her feet. The blonde felt too ashamed to look at him in the eyes so instead dropped her eyes to the ground.

"Your examination is over. Leave now while the others take theirs." His voice was calm but all the students knew that the chilly tone he used meant he was not in a good mood. They all shrunk back and hoped that he would be merciful on the next one who needed to conclude his exam.

Milla dragged her feet and hung her head as she made her out of the hard floored exam room and back to her dormitory which sat on the other side of the building.

Once she got there, she lay faced down on her bed and reminisced what had just happened. "I didn't make it," she said to herself sadly as she felt her eyes pricking with oncoming tears. She curled her fingers on the fabric of the bed's sheets and grabbed them hard. Milla sulked for a couple of more minutes on her bed, but then slowly rose herself up.

She planted her eyes on her closest and figured that it was time for her to pack her belongings, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

She wanted with all of her heart to become a knight, and it didn't seem fair that her fate was decided just because she couldn't perform twenty pull-ups. She'd wanted to do this ever since she was a little girl, and this was all she had left.

Milla had no family to rely on, she was not smart enough to go into Talim Medical School and she didn't have enough gald to move elsewhere. Her opportunities in this city were growing slimmer, but she couldn't possibly afford to leave.

"This can't be the end," she whispered malevolently. She clenched her hands into fists again and knew that somehow she had to convince her instructor to pass her. She'd known that he would be very reluctant to give her yet another chance to redeem herself, and an angry man was something she didn't know how to deal with.

Milla put a finger to her chin as she thought about what she should do. "He is a man after all," she said to herself.

The blonde then went to her closet, but instead of packing her belongings, she change into her pajamas and then sat on her bed with her legs tucked to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. For a second, she'd frightened herself with the recently formulated plan and contemplated if she was bold enough to pull it off.

After a few minutes, Milla resigned to the fact that if she ever wanted to be a knight she had to do it. She shivered briefly at the thought of what the plan entailed so she covered herself in her blanket and then waited.

* * *

It was after nightfall when Milla started to tip toe her way outside of the dormitories and toward her destination. She'd only bothered to put on thick wool socks on her feet so that she could travel quietly. The hallways were dark, but the light of the stars outside the large arched windows gave her enough light to see the dark outlines of the flower patterns on the moss green carpet that lined the straight hallway. There were more dormitories arranged on the right side of the hallway so she strayed toward the left side of the corridor.

Milla checked her surroundings twice before confirming that she'd reach the male section of the housing area. She couldn't read the signs on the door she was standing in front of because of the darkness so she caressed the indented numbers of the plaque next to the door searching for the class digit this male instructor taught. Milla grunted in frustration when the characters did not reveal the correct number she was looking for. She then covered her mouth and quietly reprimanded herself for making noise. She knew the consequences of being caught in the other gender's section of the building; she didn't want to give them another reason to boot her out.

Milla sidled on the wall to reach the room adjacent to one she'd just been inspecting and felt the numbers engraved in the plaque in front of the door and then she smiled that she'd found the place. Milla formed a fist with her right hand and brought it up to the door. Before she knocked, she hesitated and recited everything she was going to say, then knocked on the wooden surface uncertainly. She tried not to wince when she heard a bang of something falling from within the room. After a few seconds she came face-to-face with her instructor who was on the other side of the wooden opening.

The black-haired male looked at her and then behind her in search of an answer his upcoming question. Once he was done looking behind the girl, he looked her straight in her red eyes. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, it's something urgent. May I come in?" Milla said in the sweetest voice she could muster.

The knight's eyes widened a bit at Milla's tone. "Yeah, sure," he muttered, he stepped aside and opened the door wider motioning for the girl to enter his domain.

Milla sauntered in as if she owned the place and then sat on his bed. Once she got comfortable she smoothed down the white sheets of the bed and crossed her legs.

"So what did you want to talk about?" the man leaned against the wall close by and averted his eyes from the beautiful blonde that was sitting on his bed.

The girl traced circles on surface of the bed. "Well, it's about my examination today," she said softly as she gazed at the man from underneath her long eyelashes.

"What about it? You failed. I thought that would've been obvious from what happened today," the male almost growled impatiently, remembering that he'd already given her another chance earlier.

"Yes, well I was hoping you could overlook it this time," the knight-in-training spoke smoothly.

The male hung his mouth open at how vile the suggestion was. "Huh? You were the lowest in the class. That would mean I would have to pass everyone."

Milla pushed herself up and off of his bed by using her arms and walked towards the muscular man. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and then leaned in. "No, I was hoping that you'd do that just for little old me," she whispered sensually in his ear.

"U-uh… Hmm," the older one stuttered and blushed profusely. He obviously didn't want to agree, but he found that he just couldn't nor wanted to say no to her. He took his job seriously and hated himself for falling for Milla's charms, but he quickly pushed those thoughts to the side as he wrapped his arm around her torso.

Milla smiled at how easy it was to seduce the man in front of her. _"This doesn't happen to him at all does it?"_ she thought. She then removed her shirt which was well received by her instructor by the way he ogled at her half-naked form. The blonde knew that she had ensnared her prey in her trap so she went for the finishing blow. She pressed her lips against a hot mouth which opened almost immediately to her actions.

The man then led the blonde back to the bed where he laid himself on top of her. Milla wrapped her legs around him so tight that she could feel his growing manhood in his pants. The knight briefly grunted from the friction of the cloth rubbing against his dick. The black-haired man crept his hand under Milla's shirt and to her breast where he gave it a hard squeeze. Milla moaned into the other's mouth at the action.

After a few more moments of groping and sloppy kissing, the man removed himself from the woman to hastily remove her pajama bottoms and her panties. He stared down between Milla's thighs lustfully before he roughly shoved his fore and middle finger into her vagina.

The blonde gasped harshly at the painful action. She closed her eyes tight as the man ripped through her hymen. The male thrust his fingers in and out of Milla's hot cavern a few times before removing them from inside of her. He gazed down at his bloodied hand and gave Milla a genuinely concerned look. "I see, so this is your first time."

The pre-knight nodded slowly as the man wiped his hand on his pants which he removed soon after. He then pumped his newly revealed dick to harden it further.

Upon hearing the man's quick gasps, Milla gazed down at his penis only to close her eyes again the moment she saw the engorged member.

After tending to his manhood, the man then pushed Milla's arms above her head. "Milla, I want you to look at me when I go in," he whispered in her ear. When Milla didn't follow the his orders, he bit down hard in her shoulder which elicited a hiss from the female.

The blonde pried her eyes open to witness the man push himself into her tight hole. He moaned in pleasure while she cried in pain.

"Relax a little. It'll stop hurting soon. I promise." The knight then used his right arm to push up Milla's shirt to kiss and bite her torso in various places. "I'm going to start moving now."

"No don't – Ah!" Milla gasped as the man began to thrust shallowly and quickly. Within moments the thrusting became erratic and the bed beneath them started to shake. Milla threw her arms on the bed as she grabbed fistfuls of sheets beneath her that were quickly drenching in sweat.

"Come on. Move with me," the man said between grunts.

Milla was in such a daze that she didn't process what the man said; she just obeyed. She pushed herself into the knight in rhythm with his thrusting. She was inexperienced, but the motion brought the man to his climax as he came inside of her. He then gave Milla another kiss before pulling his limp cock out of her and relaxed on his bed, totally spent.

The blonde looked at the man's peaceful and tired face. _"I am doing the right thing,"_ Milla repeated as a mantra over and over again in her head. However, the reiteration of the statement eventually morphed it into something entirely different. _"Am I doing the right thing?"_

* * *

Once Milla heard the steady rise and fall of the older man's breathing, she quickly threw the sheets off of her, dressed quickly, and then returned back to her dormitory without a care to the sleeping neighbors. Before retiring for her bed, she ran into the shower room and shivered the moment she removed her clothing for the second time that night.

Milla turned on the shower head and relaxed into the shower. Her eyes started to well up when she felt the man's seed slipping down between her thighs. Her tears finally began to fall once she wiped between her legs with a nearby towel. Seeing the vile liquid made Milla bite her fist till it bled. She shut her eyes tight and then sobbed as the water streamed from the top of her blonde head and down the drain as she started the degrading motion of scrubbing down herself down. Even through all of this, she was not relieved of the unclean feeling that seemed to sting her skin.

After Milla sanitized herself, she turned off the shower and then leaned her head into the white tiled walls of the bathroom. She had not expected this reaction out of herself, but it was hard not to feel like dirt. She did feel upset that she lost her virginity to the man, but what was worse was the guilt. She took advantage of the man's desires, which was her intention, but it gave her an uneasy feeling. The man may not even change her grade and that would make what she had committed completely pointless. She sobbed again at the realization she was still very much under the man's mercy.

The blonde looked down at her body which was marred in kiss marks as well as bites. If her instructor did pass her that would mean that she would live the rest of her knighthood with the knowledge that she'd passed solely by exchanging bodily fluids.

_"Would I be satisfied with just that?" _she thought sadly. Milla shook the question out of her head, dressed herself and then returned to her own bed for the rest of the night.

* * *

Darkness continued to break into the arched windows of the hallways, even though it was technically morning. The difference now than when Milla had traversed the area earlier, was that the lamps gave an ethereal glow that illuminated the corridor. Multiple knights-in-training pushed each other out of the way so that they could get a chance to see the board posted outside the training room that stated who was passing as well as the order of the top scoring students to the bottom scoring ones.

Milla craned her neck to see her stats compared to everyone else's in her class. Surprising to everyone, Milla was the top student in the class. Should she be relieved or frightened? Milla didn't know, but she did know that she would be moving forward in her career while the rest of the knights would undoubtedly hate her. Looking at her classmates faces she could clearly see how indignant they were when they trailed their gazes upward to the top scoring students.

"What?" Flynn asked. "How's Milla the top student?" His face portrayed just how flabbergasted he was.

Yuri poked him in his side with his elbow. "Well, she did kick your ass the other day."

Flynn sighed and then crossed him arms at the frank statement.

This caught the attention of Alisha who overheard their conversation. "You passed did you not?" she said calmly. "Isn't that all that matters?"

Flynn turned around at her and then nodded solemnly.

Milla looked up at the physical representation of what last night brought her and indeed Flynn was the second best student. Milla thought back to the first day of the exam and noted that her feeling of accomplishment at beating the top student didn't feel as fulfilling as it did now.

She turned away from the crowd and walked calmly away, although her mind was still reeling from the recent past events. On her journey to privacy, she caught sight of her instructor who was visibly getting nervous at the sight of her. She wondered if he were regretting his decision to pass her as he would undoubtedly be questioned about it by the students, as well as his bosses. She forcefully winked at him which enticed a flushed face from the older man.

Once Milla was in the privacy of her own room she walked to the windowsill and stared at the hustle and bustle outside the glass structure. She inhaled a long deep breath. She knew that she couldn't dwell on this little fact any longer, so she had promised herself that she would work hard to catch up with everyone else. With a long sigh, she dropped her gaze back onto her closet which she now knew that wouldn't have to be emptied for the next few years. This fact alone enticed a small smile on her lips that didn't feel strained. She let out a content sigh and then fell face first on her bed, finally having the relaxation to sleep soundly.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Hey guys! I'm back with another chapter! I'm so sorry that this took a while... In between school and many rewrites this is what came to be! Also, I added in a lemon in Chapter 2 if any of you would like to read it.**

**Thank you Mayuko-chan, TheAnime4Fan, Project AE Hachi-Roku, and CloudyLightning for your continued support!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Tales of Xillia.**

Chapter 3

Milla ran hastily while her hair flapped behind her head. Her thundering footsteps on the hard flooring echoed in the empty halls. On her way to the city, Milla figured her first step should be to ask the citizens if they'd seen anything unusual. She made a quick detour to Jude's room where she swiftly grabbed a recent picture of him from his photo album, careful not to choose one featuring the king or queen, and then made a beeline to the town square which would undoubtedly be the most populated.

She had some inkling of a feeling that the abduction was somehow related to the encounter with that middle-aged man in the commercial district the day before, but she doubted it since he was taken into custody. If she did come out with no information from the people outside, she would make sure to stop by the jail to pay the man a brief visit.

The moment Milla reached the center circle of Fennmont, she looked around frantically for someone to ask. She caught her breath and composed herself before walking up to a young woman who stood next to the white lotus flower in the center of the circle. "Excuse me?" When she got the woman's attention she held the picture in front of her face. "Have you seen this boy?"

The woman squinted and brought her face closer to the picture of Jude. "Hmm…" the woman then shook her head solemnly. "I'm sorry. I don't think that I've seen him."

"I see." Milla was suddenly thankful that she took the time to grab the picture since it seemed not everyone was aware what exactly the prince looked like. "If you do see him, please let me know."

The woman nodded and then turned away from Milla to continue staring at the glowing flower in front of her.

Milla thought it best to not be too bummed out at the woman's response; Jude was kidnapped at night so it would be unlikely for many to have seen the crime take place. Holding her head high, she decided to press on. "Have you seen this boy?" Milla asked an elderly couple browsing the merchandise of the nearby weapon shop. The couple didn't even spare her a second glance as they strutted away from the frantic blonde and whispered amongst themselves. Milla sighed in disappointment and was slightly ticked off at their rudeness.

She shook her head to forget the incident and then walked off. However, she hesitated when she was approached by a knight wearing his full helmet and armor. Milla squared her shoulders and raised her chin up slightly to regard the other knight.

"Milla," the armored knight said hoarsely.

The woman's eyes widened slightly, and then her demeanor changed completely into one that expressed great anger once she realized who the man was. "What do you want?" she snapped.

The knight removed his helmet to reveal Milla's old instructor, who used to have to honor of training new knight recruits, but was now doing guard duty on the streets of Fennmont.

Although it had been years since she'd seen him, Milla would recognize the stern voice of her instructor anywhere.

Looking at the man's head she could tell that he aged well. The only indications of his age were the wrinkles that formed the number eleven between his eyebrows, no doubt a result of him furrowing them too much, and the oncoming grey at the roots of his hair.

The man gritted his teeth. "You dare speak to me that way after all you have done to me?"

The blonde threw her hair over her shoulder. "What I have done? Everything that resulted from that night was of your own volition."

The knight furrowed his brows in the precise motion that created the creases on his forehead, and he took a step closer to Milla, to which the blonde responded in taking a step back. "If you hadn't come onto me that night I would still have my job, and you would be doing something within your capability. Everything would've been perfect."

Milla was visibly fuming. She tightened her jaw and glared daggers at the man. Seeing these series of statements get a physical reaction out of Milla brought a smile to the male knight's face. "Look at you. You've been given such a high honor in serving the prince and yet he's gone within the first month? It's quite pitiful."

"Shut it, bastard. You know nothing of the situation." Milla didn't care if her declaration was rude; she just wanted to put the black-haired one in his place.

"There's nothing to it, is there? You failed. That's something about you that hasn't changed at all. You fail at everything. Even when someone else is dependent on you. Tell me, Milla, do the king and his kid know about the fun we had back then? How you whored yourself into knighthood?"

Milla looked down at her feet in shame which signaled the man of her answer. "The situation is dire, I'll give you that, but it's difficult to feel bad for you knowing that you've undoubtedly slept with others in order to get into your position."

The woman directed her gaze upwards and regarded the sharp-tongued knight fiercely. "After that night I had never given myself to anyone to get to where I am today. This is a result of my hard work."

The man scoffed, "You expect me to believe that?"

"No. But it doesn't really matter if you believe me or not; I could care less. That's in the past, and I'm not bothered by it any longer. That's why I'm going to tell him everything."

The man blinked twice in surprise at Milla's answer. "What?"

"He needs to know the truth. I owe him that much. Which is more reason to bring him home safely."

The knight clicked his tongue in irritation. "You should know very well that talk is cheap."

"Yes, which is why I must leave you now. My goal isn't to convince you of anything; it's to find Jude." The moment she uttered her statement, Milla spun on her heel and began to march off, however she wasn't able to get far because the man put a hand on her shoulder. Milla turned slowly to face the knight whose expression softened slightly.

"What?" the female narrowed her red eyes at the other while her own irritation grew.

The brown-eyed one removed his hand from her shoulder and covered his mouth with the same hand. "It's just that I had never seen you this way before. You're very blunt, but I think I like this side of you."

Milla gave him a suspicious look and crossed her arms at the man's confession. As a result, he coughed in his hand and tried to change the subject before it got more awkward. "Uh well, it's plain to see that you meant your words."

"Of course I do. Jude means everything to me. I wasn't brave enough to admit it earlier, but I know that it's time to now; even if it ends with me losing my job, it wasn't supposed to be mine to begin with."

The knight stroked his chin that was covered in black stubble. "Hmm, you've definitely changed, Milla. It was fun catching up with you, but I guess it's time for me to return to my post now."

Milla nodded to the man and he turned around to walk away. When he advanced few paces, he spoke over his shoulder. "By the way, I was on guard duty last night and I noticed some suspicious behavior in front of the Talim Medical School. I took care of it, but if I were you I would start looking there."

"Huh? Thank you," Milla said quietly she then strutted toward the medical district briskly without waiting for a reply from the older man.

* * *

When the blonde reached the section of town, she scanned the area thoroughly, but didn't find anything out of the ordinary. The obvious students were casually talking with each other and some were walking to their next class. There was the occasional person who spared her a second glance, but his countenance was not that of fear, but instead full of questions.

Milla whispered a quick prayer to the spirits, wishing that she wouldn't waste her time here. She walked into the school and toward the front desk, grabbing the picture of Jude while she did so. Once she got closer, the young man who was about ten years younger than Milla raised his gaze and smiled at her.

Milla raised the picture of the attractive boy and was about to ask her static question, but was beaten by the receptionist who asked his own question first. "What can I do for you two?"

The blonde tilted her head slightly. She then spun around, wondering what the man was talking about. Milla soon found herself face to face with a very smug looking character. The man looked so suspicious that the first thought that crossed her mind was if she needed to arrest this fellow. He had messy chocolate brown hair, dark eyes, olive skin, and a devilishly handsome smile.

The man chuckled softly. "You looking for a kid?"

"Yes," Milla said without any hesitation, not realizing how strange it was for him to know her predicament. She raised the picture higher to the man. "This boy."

The man waved his hands in front of his face. "There's no need to show me, ma'am. Yes, I've seen him."

"Really? Where?" Milla yelled before she all but jumped on the man, desperately waiting an answer.

"I saw a group of people drag him into the inn." He motioned toward the exit door of the medical establishment.

Milla crossed her arms across her chest, and then glared at the man's suspicious smile. _"So, he saw a young boy being taken into the inn against his will, and he didn't tell anyone until now? For that matter, no one at the inn found it suspicious either?" _Milla was aware that sadly there are many people who would idly stand by while something as sick as that happens in front of their eyes. Even so, the story was just too insane to believe.

Milla eyed the man in front of her again, and then decided that it was probably best to stay away from him. Now that she thought about it, it wouldn't be a bad idea to ask those at the inn either, but, as much as she hated to admit it, she was going to trust her old instructor before this character.

"Thank you... er…"

"My name's Alvin," the man said as he straightened his fancy mustard colored scarf.

"Yes, thank you, Alvin." She nodded to him, and then briskly jogged out the entrance of Talim Medical School. As she left the well-lit building, she couldn't help but feel an ominous wind blowing over her head. She glanced behind her and sighed when she saw Alvin following her not so discretely. This struck Milla as very unusual, but she didn't know if the man just needed to leave the school as well, so she didn't confront him about it.

"Excuse me. Have you seen this boy?" the blonde asked a student sitting on a bench outside the school.

"Isn't that the prince? I'm sorry. I haven't seen him recently." The male never made eye contact with Milla. After looking at the picture, he nervously eyed something behind the knight.

The woman turned around, and not to her surprise, Alvin was standing behind her with his smug smirk.

Milla muttered the boy her thanks and then walked a couple of paces. She huffed in annoyance upon seeing Alvin follow her even out on the streets. Milla ceased her stride, and then confronted the man. "What is your problem?" she growled. "Why are you following me?"

Alvin threw his hands in the air as if he were showing that he surrendered. "Me? Oh, I was just making sure that you found the boy alright. You seem desperate to find him so I thought I'd help you out."

"Yeah, by lying and annoying the shit out of me," she muttered angrily while keeping a look of contempt painted on her face.

"Don't give me such a sour look, beautiful. In all seriousness, I did actually see that kid being taken somewhere last night. If you take me along, we will find him a lot quicker."

Milla squinted her eyes at the man. _"This guy really is full of shit. But if he really did know where Jude was taken this could really quicken things up a bit." _

The knight knew exactly how to handle his type; she dealt with many of them in the past. She suddenly grabbed him by the collar and dragged him down to her eye-level, a few inches away from her face. "Now listen here, you lowlife scum. This is no time to be playing games. Especially when a little boy's life is in danger," the blonde growled. "Either tell me what you know or piss off." Milla enunciated the last two vulgar words.

The female waited for a few moments, but only received silence as a reply. She sighed dejectedly and was about to let go of Alvin when she noticed a shift in his eyes. They focused to something to Milla's right; it was very brief, but she caught it. She slowly turned her head in the given direction and noted that it was the exit into the Arkland Quag.

Milla dropped the man and walked towards the field with Alvin yelling behind her. "Hey! Where're you going? You still don't know where to go do you?" Alvin noted her destination and tried his best to deter her path. "He's not over there!"

Milla ignored him as the path she was taking was all too clear to her. Alvin must have been working for whoever kidnapped Jude in order to divert her attention from the boy's location. It would make sense why he followed her around and gave her faulty directions. Milla felt an uneasy pit grow at the base of her stomach. _"The only people who knew I was going to look for him were King Nachtigal and Gilland." _Milla brushed this thought to the side as she left the city and into the field.

* * *

Milla approached the first dark tree of the area and shifted her gaze from left to right for some kind of clue as to where the boy had been taken. She crouched down to get a better look at the muddy ground and took note of five sets of footprints between the patches of grass. A grimace marred her pretty face when she noticed that one pair of footprints were smaller than the other four. _"Four of them?" _Milla thought with growing uncertainty. She then shook her head abruptly to remove the negative mindset. The blonde knew that if she were to save Jude, she needed to have more faith in herself. _"I can take them. I was the best in my class with the sword after all." _

Milla ran for about a kilometer following the footprints while the surrounding trees became sparse and the visibility of the area lessened. Her clothes underneath her armor clung tightly to her body with sweat and by the sheer humidity of the area. The female knight slowed her breathing and followed the footprints with her eyes. They led to an unknown area on the other side of a nearby boulder that concealed their location wonderfully. Milla crept forward, hid behind the dirty boulder, and peered through an opening between the stone structure and the cliff of the Quag's border. Surely enough, Jude sat crossed legged on the muddy floor in his ripped pajamas with cuts and bruises all over his exposed skin.

Milla was overcome with anger at the sight and knew that whoever had inflicted that much harm to the boy would fall very painfully to her blade. She gazed at the men around Jude and was taken aback when most of them seemed all too familiar to her.

She soon realized that all of those who surrounded the prince were undoubtedly the king's knights; she couldn't see their faces, except for the Conductor, but the armor they wore gave away their allegiance. Milla felt relieved and was about to rise until the men began to speak to each other.

"I don't know. This still doesn't feel like the right thing to do… I mean he's just a kid," one knight said to the other.

Rowen settled his gaze on the boy in front of him. "I concur. This young man doesn't deserve any of this." The old man then diverted his gaze and looked off to the side. "My king, what has become of you?"

The third knight in the group glared at the two men. "You all maybe prepared to lose your heads, but I'm not," he jeered. "If doing this is what it takes to keep my job, then I will do it when the time comes." The man motioned to Jude. Before the men could discuss things further, their attentions were caught by a comrade behind them who joined at that precise moment; he was panting from his hasty journey from Fennmont.

"What is it?" Rowen asked.

The man spoke quickly and quietly, but Milla caught what he was saying. She squatted down further while adjusting her feet so she didn't slip in the mud. "Alvin informed me that he was unable to divert Milla from our tracks long enough. She's headed here as we speak."

The knight closest to Jude nodded his head toward him. "Is that so? Then I guess it's best if we kill him now before she gets here. We have orders to kill her as well?"

The messenger nodded curtly. "Yes."

"Very well." The man then proceeded unsheathe his sword and grab Jude's neck. The mere sight of the blade enticed a flash of fear in the boy's eyes as he started to pull at the knight's iron grip and began to cry.

"Stop! Let go of me!" Jude screeched.

Rowen and the other knight who opposed the punishment grimaced at the cruelty, but neither of them took action to stop him.

"Shut up, kid," the man said coldly.

The guard pointed the sword at the boy's stomach to stab him, but instead it was him who cried out in pain as his back began to burn from a fireball. The man turned around to spot the offender who casted the arte, but he was not quick enough to stop her from performing her next one.

"Splash!" Milla shouted as a pot of water mercilessly pounded the man down with the liquid inside.

The knight hissed as the cold water made contact with his burning back. No later had this occurred, the remaining two knights ambushed Milla. She successfully guarded against the onslaught of slices, kicks, and punches. When she found an opening, she summoned a ring of light around her which harmed the men surrounding her. Once both of them were lying on the floor, she locked eyes with the one who was a victim to her magic; upon seeing him, she started to breathe heavily, and her mind went into a haze of fury.

Milla swiftly sliced her sword in all directions to distract the knight, but he wasn't having any of that. He dealt Milla a diagonal slice in the torso which her armor absorbed for the most part, but she still felt the residual force of the impact.

The blonde grunted in pain, but was too caught up in her rage to care. She stabbed the man near his belt, which he blocked with his shield. This action left his head exposed which was precisely what Milla was waiting for. Immediately after her low blow attack she kicked the man in his armored head which left him dizzy. He fell to the ground and Milla stabbed him in the heart with her sharpened blade which pierced through his armor. She twisted the blade cruelly to which the impaled man groaned in pain. Milla withdrew her sword from the defeated knight and proceeded to attack the other knights who were now on their feet and ready for another go at the blonde knight.

Milla ran away from the men and casted a Thunder Blade which spun around her and electrocuted the hostiles around her. They fell to the ground after the sword of lightning stopped their hearts instantly.

The blonde looked around, but then squinted her eyes back into a glare as she spotted the Conductor who was walking toward Jude. Not liking their close proximity, Milla sliced the old man multiple times, but none of the attacks were making contact with his flesh. The two weapons clashed multiple times which emitted a ringing sound every time.

Milla was faster and stronger than Rowen, but the old man was by far smarter. He learned the woman's pattern of attacks quickly and anticipated when she was about to go for a stab. Once she did, he evaded it and gave a quick flick of his wrist to disarm her with his sword. The blonde gave him a very broken look as if she had resigned to the fact that she failed, but then her expression changed once the Conductor sheathed his sword.

"That's quite enough now. I'm not the one who you should be fighting, miss." Rowen gave Milla a reassuring smile which seemed to have magic of its own as it eased her immensely. "There seems to be something else you need to take care of though." He motioned toward the shivering boy on the floor.

Milla nodded, "Thank you."

Rowen walked many paces away to give the pair some privacy.

Milla walked towards the trembling prince on the floor and placed her hand on his shoulder. Jude raised his brown eyes at the woman and then cried some more. "Why are you here? Do you want to kill me that bad?" he managed to say through a series of hiccups.

Milla's eyes grew as she gasped at the statement. "What do you mean?"

Jude turned his gaze over to the lifeless bodies on the muddy ground. "My father sent you, didn't he?" he said sadly.

Milla nodded slowly at the question afraid of what the boy meant by that question. "Yes. He sent me to come and look for you. To save you."

Jude snapped at Milla. "You're lying! He doesn't care about me! He wants me dead!"

"Why would he want you dead?" Milla asked with a genuinely confused expression.

"Because I'm not really his son." The boy observed how Milla's expression didn't change at his confession and then nodded his head. "You could tell too, right? I'm nothing like him. I'm a bastard and he hates me for it. I've lost my mother and now I've lost the one that I called my father. I'm an orphan." Upon speaking the truth of the situation, Jude covered his face in his hands, concealing himself from the condescending looks he knew Milla would give him.

Milla gingerly grasped the boy's wrists and gently pulled his hands away from his face. Jude looked at her and noticed that she too was crying, and he was taken aback by it. Milla then released the boy's hands and pulled him in a tight hug.

Jude didn't return the hug, he just sniffed profusely taking in the sweet scent of the blonde's hair. "Why?" Jude asked in a barely audible whisper.

After a few moments of holding him, the older one finally answered Jude's question. "You're not an orphan, Jude. You're mine." Milla said softly.

"What?" Jude eyes grew larger as the truth dawned on him.

"You're my son."


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Hello people! I'm happy to say that we've reached the ending of this story! I'm glad that I was able to put it into four chapters after all. As a side note, this chapter has a bunch of time skips and even a change in perspective which was necessary to answer everything so it may be confusing... Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this just as much as I had writing it!**

**Thank you TheAnime4Fan, CloudyLightning, and**** Project AE Hachi-Roku for your continued support! As well as to you silent readers!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Tales of Xillia.**

Chapter 4

_Eleven years ago…_

Milla woke abruptly from a loud thud that came from the room adjacent to her own. She stretched briefly and shifted her body so that her legs were dangling off the edge of the bed with her feet nearly touching the floor. She contemplated confronting her neighbor about the rude awakening, but then put that idea on hold as she quickly discovered her urge to urinate.

The new knight rose and crossed the hall outside her room. _"Ugh, again? I peed three times last night." _Milla grunted in frustration as she opened the bathroom stall door and sat down to pee. As she relaxed into the action, she allowed her eyes to wander. She grimaced in disgust at the sight of the used feminine product on the tiled floor. Milla thought nothing of it at first when she rose abruptly and flushed the toilet. She placed her hand on her head when the sudden movement made her feel nauseous.

The blonde looked down at the product on the floor again and was reminded of how annoying her monthly really was. _"Wait. Wasn't mine due last week?" _Milla gazed down at her lady parts and wondered how she could forget about that.

Milla suddenly felt another wave of nausea and she grabbed the stall walls again for support. Milla gulped as her heart dropped. This was weird behavior even for her, and the possibilities of what her condition could be were scaring her. She burst out of the stall and walked up to the mirror. The knight combed her hand through her hair and stared at her tired reflection.

She thought back to her night of thrills a couple of weeks ago and was mentally punching herself. She and her instructor didn't use a condom nor did she take pills; it was quite stupid on her part. She left the bathroom, got dressed into casual clothing, and made her way toward the Talim Medical School. They saw patients who just walked in so perhaps they could take care of her.

As Milla walked there she felt as if she was in complete turmoil. If she really was going to have a baby there were too many problems that would arise. First, her having a baby would force her to continue her contact with her instructor whom she didn't want anything to do with at all. Second, if the other knights found out about her baby she would undoubtedly lose her job as a result. Third, and the most obvious problem, she would not be able to properly care for the child.

Sure the pay for her job was not bad, but it was definitely not enough to support two people. Not to mention, since she was newly knighted, she would have to work out in the fields and away from her baby. She couldn't possibly leave her child by himself.

Milla pushed this thought to the back of her head as she approached the school. She questioned if she really wanted to confirm her suspicions as she walked in, but then realized that if she didn't she could possibly be harming her baby in the process of her denial. Her feet seemed to move by themselves and she soon found herself sitting on the bed in a patient room, awaiting the results of the pregnancy test she took.

The knight closed her bright red eyes briefly, but then opened them again at the sound of the door opening. The doctor strode in with a broad smile on her face. "Good news! You're pregnant!"

Milla sighed and held her head dejectedly.

This expression caught the doctor off guard. "Is something wrong?" the older woman asked with a trepid tone.

The blonde shook her head slowly. "Nothing is wrong. I was just concerned about how I will continue my job."

The doctor took a seat from the desk of the examination room and sat close to Milla with a look of concern. "What is your occupation?"

Milla gulped. "I'm a knight."

"I see," the doctor commented slowly. "That is indeed a problem. It's not safe for the child if you continue to exhaust your body in that way. Perhaps it may be wise to take a leave from your duties. If not, it could result in a miscarriage."

Milla closed her eyes. _"It's cruel, but I've gotten this far; I can't back out now. If I do, then there's no way I'd be able to take care of my baby. Perhaps it's better to take the chance. And maybe if this does end in a miscarriage, it would –" _The knight squeezed her eyes tight to eradicate the dark thoughts. "I understand. Thank you, doctor."

The woman with greying hairs gave Milla a warm smile and patted her back. "You're welcome. Make sure you come and visit me regularly so I can see how your pregnancy is progressing."

With that said, the doctor hastily rose and left the room to attend to her other patients. Once the door closed behind her, Milla covered her hands over her eyes and sighed deeply. She knew she was being stupid, but she couldn't seem to find a way out of the hole she had dug herself into. She could reach out to her instructor, if he knew that she was pregnant he could help her. However, Milla knew that it was wise to stay away from the older man. He, for sure, would not believe her. Even if he did, that would mean she would have to deal with him for the rest of her life. It was selfish, but she had no intention of getting back together with him, and possibly be forced into having a relationship with him because of the kid.

Milla gritted her teeth and damned her child for putting her in a difficult situation. She knew she was being selfish, but in this moment of her anger, her calculation of fair judgment was lacking. Milla rose from the bed and walked out onto the streets with full intention of returning to her full knight duties despite the risk it posed.

* * *

_8 months later…_

"Fireball!" Milla yelled out the spell to attack the Sol Cat in front of her. The monster growled in pain before it fell to the ground to its death. Milla nodded at her handy work and then left the Laforte Research Institute. On her way out, she turned to the researchers waiting patiently at the entrance. "Those pests have been dealt with. The institute should be safe now."

All four researchers sighed in relief in unison. "Thank you, miss!" one of them said.

Another researcher nodded graciously. "Yes! Now we don't have to worry about being eaten while we do our experiments!"

"There's no need to thank me so profusely. This is my job of course," Milla stated simply with a small smile as she unconsciously placed her hand on her stomach.

"But still, we wish to show you our appreciation nonetheless!"

Milla nodded to the four of them and then spun on her heel to leave the premises. She hastily made her way toward the Talim Medical School as today was one of her scheduled appointments with her doctor.

Against the doctor's better judgment, Milla had decided to continue to perform her duties as a knight. She successfully concealed her baby bump from the other knights by hiding it under her armor. As she got bigger, her armor grew as well. This came as extremely suspicious to the people around her, but she just brushed it off as a rapid weight gain. Due to the size of her belly and the oversized armor, her mobility had decreased tremendously, and as a result she began to use magic artes instead of her sword. She surprisingly had an innate talent for it, and it proved most useful recently.

Milla was just about to enter the medical school when she felt some pressure augmenting inside of her. _"What? No." _Milla almost mouthed the words she was thinking as she was receiving her first contractions. _"It's way too early."_

Milla managed to enter the building, but then fell to her knees as the sheer pain of labor was too strong for her legs to keep her upright. This caught the attention of many onlookers who quickly brought her into one of the rooms. After many minutes, her doctor was by her side as she was stripped from below her waist.

"A month early? This is worrisome. But it's time when the baby says it's time." The woman looked at Milla's nether regions and nodded. "Your cervix has not dilated fully. I'm sorry to say, Milla, but looks like we need to preform C-section," the lady said with a sad smile.

Milla thumped her head against her pillow and grunted in pain.

The doctor patted Milla's head. "Don't worry, dear. I'll be back once everything is prepared." Milla half-heartedly nodded as the doctor left the room.

* * *

_Eight hours later…_

"Hey. Wake up," the doctor giggled at her patient. When Milla opened her eyes a crack she caught sight of a little bundle of blanket in the elder woman's arms wrapping the face of a newborn baby crying horridly like a banshee. "See? This is your little boy." Milla outstretched her arms and held her new baby as she felt more awake than she ever did before.

The blonde cradled the baby in her arms and patted the boy's black tuft of hair. Milla cried as she was quickly forgetting how birthing this creature in her arms was the most agonizing battle she had ever fought. "Hi, Jude." Milla smiled feeling as if she were in euphoria. "I'm your mom."

* * *

After several days of recovering, for both the mother and son, the doctor sent the duo home with careful instructions as to how Milla would care for a baby born prematurely. The new mother absorbed all information carefully as she wanted to be the best mom in the world.

Milla carried Jude out of the medical school and thought of how she was going to hide her little boy from her superiors. However, that was a fleeting thought when she saw a familiar face walking quite a bit away from her. Milla squinted and noticed that this was Queen Muzét walking with her personal guard looking very upset.

Milla shrugged and walked off with full intention of ignoring her, but from the corner of her eye she could see that Muzét still caught sight of her and was walking in her direction. Once the woman was close enough, Milla could see her reddened eyes and puffy nose as she smiled at the blonde. The knight flinched at her smile. It was obviously forced, and one couldn't dismiss how creepy it came off as.

"Hello, Milla," Muzét sang the blonde's name with a shaky voice.

"Good morning, Muzét," Milla said warily. "Are you alright?"

"Am I alright?" Muzét laughed manically. "Of course I'm not. I've never been farther from that in my entire life!" she yelled as she balled up her fists.

Milla took a step back from the nutcase. "I'm sorry for asking when it wasn't my place. I'll be taking my leave now." Milla spun around to leave, but then stopped when the blue-haired woman sang her name again.

"Milla? What is that you are holding?"

"It's nothing that you should be concerned with," Milla said too quickly. She silently reprimanded herself for coming off as suspicious. This heightened Muzét's curiosity.

"Show me. Now," the queen demanded.

Milla shivered. Without looking at the woman she could tell she was smiling; she could hear it in her voice.

Milla turned around, despite her brain screaming at her to stop. Muzét walked up in front of her to see Jude wrapped up in her arms.

"A baby? Spirits above, he's beautiful!" Muzét placed her hand on the boy's head to which Milla instinctively pulled him away and defensively covered him with her body. The queen glared at the knight dangerously.

"I'm sorry, but he's very fragile. He was born a month prematurely and he can get sick easily," she explained.

The blue-haired woman placed her hand over her chest with a not so convincing hurt expression on her face. "Come now, Milla. Won't you let me hold him? I'm not sick."

"No," Milla said quietly but sternly at the same time.

"Is that disobedience I hear?" Muzét raised an eyebrow. "I am your queen. Hand him over."

When Milla didn't move, Muzét nodded to her guard who stepped forward and unsheathed his sword. Milla was clearly upset with the sharp object being waved so close to her baby that she begrudgingly complied.

Muzét held the sleeping youth in her arms. "What's his name?" she asked softly.

"Jude."

"Jude? Ah. What a lovely name." The woman was visibly getting attached to him which Milla didn't enjoy viewing at all. The queen rocked him back and forth, and then suddenly continued her journey towards Orda Palace.

The blonde stood in front of the blue-haired woman, effectively blocking her path. "Wait. What are you doing?"

Muzét didn't lift her gaze from the boy as she responded. "I'm just going to take Jude home with me. I hope you don't mind."

"Of course I mind! He's my son, not yours. You are not taking him anywhere," Milla growled at Muzét. She lifted arms to get physical with the lady, but the guard pointed his sword at the female knight to which Milla halted.

"I'm sorry, but there seems to be nothing you can do about it." Muzét's creepy smile grew indefinitely as she said these words. Milla narrowed her eyes at the beautiful woman as if she was challenging her. "I don't even need to resort to violence to get what I want this time." Muzét winked at Milla. "He's your son? Hmm… This must meant that you got pregnant while still in training. That's a big no-no am I right?"

Milla's jaw hung slack, "You wouldn't."

The blue-haired woman giggled. "Oh, but I would. That is if you try to stop me."

The blonde grew desperate at the realization that the queen was not joking around. "How can you do this? Take a child from his mother."

"Calm down, Milla. You're acting like this is the worst possible thing that could happen to him. Do you honestly think that you could provide a better home for him than me?"

Milla gazed down at the ground as the truth of the statement stabbed needles in her heart.

Seeing Milla falter fired up Muzét even more. "You can't give him the world like I can." Red clashed with green as the two women shared a hard stare with each other.

Milla nodded her blonde head in understanding as her feet seemed to have a mind of their own. She took a step back to which Muzét continued in carrying Jude back to Orda Palace.

"Excuse me, miss." Milla heard the husky tones of the guard and gazed up at him dejectedly. "I believe you need some sort of explanation. You see, her majesty recently gave birth as well. Sadly, the child was a stillborn. She's clearly grieving which is evident of how she acted with your child."

"Does that justify her actions?"

The man shook his head. "No, but I felt bad for you, and thought that you needed to know where this behavior is coming from. And perhaps you will find some sympathy for her."

"I don't care where it's coming from. She's despicable," Milla spat her hate filled words out.

"I'm sorry for your loss," the man said genuinely. He then hastily followed his queen and new prince to the Palace.

As soon as the male knight left, Milla dropped her façade and brought her hands to her face and cried hard. _"This is for the best,"_ Milla thought to herself. _"He deserves better than what I can give him."_

Mila shakily wiped her tears away with her hand. _"It's for the best, yet why does it feel so wrong? Why do I feel torn from someone I have only known for a couple of days?"_

* * *

_Orda Palace  
Throne Room_

Nachtigal sighed on his throne and covered half of his face with his left hand. He turned off the artificial lighting in the room and the large windows were the only source of light. The shadows created appeared as daggers on the floor. With the minimal light hitting the back of the throne, Nachtigal was left in darkness.

The king threw his hand off of his face and left it hanging off of the edge of the arm rest. He leaned backward in a relaxed pose, however, his face remained fatigued. He was broken out of his reverie when a figure presented itself in front of him. It was one that he'd known too well. "Gilland."

"Your majesty," Gilland bowed briefly. "What troubles you?"

"This is just work related stress. Nothing more." The lion-like man waved his arm to dismiss his second in command.

"Is it that difficult for you to confide in me?" Gilland walked slowly over to Nachtigal's side. "Whatever it is, you should be proud. You're lovely wife has presented you with a son. That in itself should spread a smile on your face." Gilland chose his words carefully to provoke the King as much as possible.

Nachtigal sighed again, "That's precisely what has compromised me to this state. Gilland, he is not my son."

"How can you be so certain?"

"Have you seen him? His black hair does not run in my family nor Muzét's. And he's way too small to be an offspring of a Fenn." Nachtigal growled in irritation, "That stupid woman. I have been married to her for less than a year and already she's been with other men. I will not give Rashugal to someone who is not of Royal blood."

Gilland placed his hand on his chin. "Hmm, might I suggest killing the little problem?"

"You think that hasn't crossed my mind yet? Muzét seems to be quite attached to Jude. It would be difficult to kill him without her knowing."

"Perhaps two murders need to take place?" Gilland chuckled at his devious plan.

"Perhaps, but she is my wife. It'd be too annoying to find another one," Nachtigal groaned, "No doubt the death of her and my 'son' would be a scare to the people."

"This is quite the dilemma, your majesty."

"Indeed, in the end there's nothing that I can do about it except wait for the perfect time to get rid of that bastard child." Nachtigal stroked the scars on his face as he said this.

"Yes, I'm sure that time will come soon. However, it's appalling that you must give that adulterer her way."

Nachtigal grunted in affirmation of Gilland's statement and leaned his head back. "I will thoroughly enjoy the day he dies, but it is not optimal to fantasize about that now."

Gilland nodded his head, then he hesitated, knowing that Nachtigal was only half listening. "Very well then. I will take my leave then."

The king hummed in recognition that Gilland had said something but didn't make any motions outside of closing his tired eyes.

* * *

_Three years later…_

Milla walked through the commercial district in Fennmont, keeping a clear eye for anything out of the ordinary as she was handling her guard duty post on the streets. Although this type of job was considered the most boring by many, Milla found it to be quite easy as her presence was enough to strike fear into anyone who intended to commit a crime.

Milla hummed to herself and continued to pace around the stores without incident. That was until she heard an all too familiar voice approaching the store she was standing next to. Milla peered at the entrance and almost jumped out of her armor when she realized that the voice belonged to Muzét. The woman was wearing a long green dress that was so low cut it was a mystery how her boobs did not fall out.

"Now, I want to make the best peach pie for your father. So will you go and find me the biggest, juiciest peaches, Jude?" Muzét said sweetly.

Milla flinched at that name that pulled at her heart strings. She craned her neck around to see a little boy clinging on to Muzét's hand. His hair was dark and his eyes were brown. Without a doubt, Milla knew that the boy resembled her and her instructor. Another thing that was without a doubt was that Milla was still very much in love with the boy. It was probably maternal instinct, but regardless the blonde found it difficult to not be drawn to the boy.

Muzét directed Jude to the peaches and picked him up he could look at them. The blue-haired woman felt eyes on her so she turned around to find, to her amusement, an indignant looking Milla. Muzét smiled, relishing the jealous expression that her mundane act elicited from the blonde.

"Mommy, I want this one!" Jude all but screamed at Muzét. To which the woman replied by hushing at her child.

"Please be quiet, dear. We are in a shop. This one you said? It's lovely." Muzét placed the peaches in the bag and turned to gather other ingredients for peach pie. Before she left the produce section of the store, she turned and winked at the visibly fuming knight.

Milla stood there in fury with her arms shaking at her sides. She wondered if it would be in bad taste to snatch the boy from her arms, but she wouldn't bring herself to do it. This all was a result of her poor decisions after all. She needed to confront them head on.

Without realizing her actions, Milla followed the pair discretely around the mazes of aisles. Muzét didn't notice her, but the three-year-old did. Milla ceased her breathing and smiled at the boy to which he smiled back. The blonde was not sure why she felt warm and fuzzy, but all she knew was that she was enamored with the cute kid that was hers.

In that moment, Milla realized that perhaps she couldn't watch over and protect him like a normal mother could, but she would fight to make Fennmont a safe place for him. She would be a better knight and if fate was kind, maybe she could meet the prince personally. That would be when she would feel the most accomplished. He was the world for her now, and she wanted to protect him.

Milla waved at the boy and then walked out of the grocery store with her new found confidence in one pocket and hope for the future in the other one.

* * *

_Present Day…_

Jude said nothing but stared in disbelief at Milla with his jaw hanging slack. She recalled her memories of the incident to him to which he listened with his undivided attention. After hearing the truth and Milla's personal story, Jude bit his lower lip. "I don't believe you," he said bluntly. "My real mother died last month, and she was always so sweet to me. It's difficult to believe she would be that cruel."

Milla nodded. "I knew you wouldn't." She then went through the motions of removing her armor to which Jude blushed and adverted his eyes.

"W-what are you doing?" he said uncomfortably.

Milla ignored him and continued to remove her armor until she had only a thin shirt over her upper body. She lifted her shirt over her stomach to reveal her scar when she gave birth to Jude. She looked up at Jude and knew that from his disturbed expression that he was not convinced. "This is my only proof," she whispered. "I'm sorry that I don't have a picture or any hard evidence, and I know it's hard to believe my story. But please believe that I'm your mother, if not anything else."

Jude continued to stare at Milla without being convinced, but seeing his strong guard break under these circumstances moved him. His face began to soften. Milla calmed from Jude's change in expression, and she knew that her minimal proof sufficed.

"You're really my mom?" Jude hiccupped. Milla nodded slowly with downcast eyes. Jude swiftly wiped his tears and smiled beautifully. "What about my real father? What was he like?"

Milla gave the boy a dumbfounded expression. "What do you want to know about him?"

"Anything."

"Umm," Milla hesitated. She really didn't want to tell him about that man, but Jude's hopeful eyes forced her to comply. "Well, he was an instructor in the knights. His job was to train new recruits who wanted to be knighted."

"Is that how you met him?" Jude asked excitedly.

Milla gave him one solitary nod.

The black-haired boy's attention peaked at this. "So, both of my parents are knights…" Jude trailed off looking towards the distance in thought, perhaps pride at having strong parents.

Milla never let her gaze leave the younger one. "You have no idea how it felt to work so closely with you. I felt like it was the first time that I could truly be there for you. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to raise you."

Jude began to look sad again. "It wasn't too bad I guess. My parents were nice." Jude's mind trailed to Nachtigal and he began to shiver. "Although, I can't go back home now I suppose." He wrapped his arms around his legs that were tucked close to his chest.

"You won't need to. They're after my head too it seems." Milla grabbed Jude's shoulders and kneeled in front of him. "Jude, listen to me. I will keep you safe from him. We will leave Rashugal and stay in Auj Oule where he can't hurt you."

Jude's eyes widened and sighed dejectedly. He then nodded sadly. "I understand. But once he realizes that I'm not dead, he'll continue to send knights to find me." Jude shivered harder than before.

"If that happens, I'll cut them all down."

Jude gave a slight pout; he was clearly unconvinced and concerned at Milla's proposal.

"I may have the solution you seek." A voice said behind the two.

Jude and Milla directed their attention to Rowen who smiled. The action caused crow's feet to appear around his eyeballs. Milla narrowed her eyes and stood in front of Jude protectively. "Whatever it is that you want, we are not interested."

Jude rose from his seated position and placed his hand on Milla's shoulder. "Milla, wait. Maybe we should hear him out."

Milla put a finger on her chin, remembering how the old man spared her in their earlier battle. Although her mind was reeling, it didn't hurt to hear the man's answer. Milla sighed. "Proceed."

"It's quite simple actually. I could convince King Nachtigal of the boy's and your own deaths. If you two are truly leaving the country, then he would never learn the truth if you two are not spotted Rashugal again," the old man said while stroking his beard.

Milla narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "How do we know you won't tell King Nachtigal of our escape to Auj Oule?"

Rowen placed his hands behind his back and nodded, understanding that her concern was entirely founded. "I can give you my word, but that is obviously not enough."

"You're right. It's not. Perhaps I should kill you right now to keep your mouth shut."

"Milla, stop!" Jude yelled while pulling at her arm. "Don't kill Rowen. He was the most merciful of my kidnappers. You may not trust him about this, but I do."

The blonde widened her eyes at the boy. "You do?" Jude nodded curtly.

Milla gazed at Rowen and frowned. "Fine. If Jude trusts you, I will do the same."

This brought a sincere smile to Rowen's wrinkled face. "I will not disappoint either of you." Rowen bowed slightly and then turned back toward Fennmont, walking over the corpses of once breathing knights.

"I hope we didn't make a mistake," Milla grumbled.

"I know we didn't." Jude nodded knowingly. He then looked at the mud between his feet. "Umm, Milla?"

"Yes, my prince?" the knight said on impulse.

Jude flinched at her utterance. "Please don't call me that anymore. I'm not royalty."

"Oh, I'm sorry." The woman hated herself for bringing their conversation to an awkward halt. "What were you going to ask me?"

"Things aren't going to be the same anymore, are they?" Jude asked sadly.

"No they're not. But I hope that you are not bothered by the differences. I take care of you just as well as Muzét had." Milla ran her hand through Jude's soft locks, and this time Jude didn't pull away.

The boy smiled briefly. "Thank you."

The female knight chuckled. "Don't thank me just yet. I hadn't begun doing anything."

"I know. I just think that I wanted to thank you for fighting for me even though it's not your job anymore. It just made me feel like I mattered to someone," Jude admitted.

"I feel the same way," Milla replied softly.

"Huh?"

Milla ruffled Jude's black hair. "It's nothing. Forget about it." She then grabbed him by the hand and pulled him away.

"Wha–? Hey! I want to know!" Jude said indignantly.

Milla smiled, knowing that Jude was slowly becoming lively again. She grasped his arm tighter and fantasized about their future together as mother and son. It was bound to be difficult at first, but she had to take charge for bringing Jude into this world. And she was more than happy to fulfill that responsibility.

**The End**


End file.
